Garmin Insider

Talansky Rising

One of the most promising but least heralded young American cyclists, Andrew Talansky of Garmin-Barracuda, looks to light things up at the Tour of California.

daniel mcmahon

As for other riders to watch, Talansky said not to rule out Levi Leipheimer, a three-time winner of the race. (Leipheimer was hit by a car last month and suffered a broken fibula; he decided to start the race only on Friday, two days before California begins.) Talansky said he could still be a force to reckon with. “You can never count him out,” he said. “He's the hardest-working professional I've ever met.”

“Obviously you have Chris Horner—he was incredible last year,” Talansky said. “But to do that two years in a row is hard. You can do the exact same training and the exact same race program two years in a row, but that doesn't mean you're going to have the exact same form, so we have to hope a little bit that he doesn't on Mount Baldy.”

“Tejay van Garderen of BMC is clearly going to try to win the race,” Talanksy added. “And somebody not everybody is talking about is Vincenzo Nibali. He had a great spring campaign, he won Tirreno, he was in the Ardennes racing up at the front.”

Wherever Talansky and Garmin finish in California, it’s clear that they’re on a roll and things look good for the squad heading into the major summer races. And given Talansky’s dedication to the sport coupled with Garmin’s spirit and focus on nurturing riders long term, expect to see a lot more of both in the years to come.